Time to get into the groove

Good morning and welcome to another week folks! Today's what does a wedding planner actually do is all about creating the right working environment, (as inspired by Madonna and her ability to get into that groove).

Everyone is different but I think most people benefit from working set hours in a proper location i.e a desk, not your bed, the sofa, floor etc.

Creating a decent work space for yourself gives you more pride in your work, makes you feel more focused and helps spark creativity.

Before I purchased my snazzy orange Ikea desk I worked at the dining room table. Which wasn't great as it's in the same room as the TV. And somehow Neighbours and Home and Away were always on. Working in the lounge meant I would just pop the TV on for company - Jeremy Kyle, Loose Women, yep, all that trashy TV became the background noise to my work.

But now I have a clean, (most of the time), work space, which is just for work and whilst I work better with some sound, the company of the radio is far preferable to people shouting on Jeremy Kyle. Because if it's a case of sorting out my insurance, or watching a man who fathered his sister's best friend's child's baby, which one's most likely to win out?

What about you? Where's your favourite place to work?

To haggle or not to haggle?

Pound purse from Alphabet Bags

I thought I'd start the week with a contentious issue - the subject of haggling.

There are certain areas of life where haggling is okay/expected and others where it's not.

You go to a car boot sale and they say £10, you say £5 and so on.

But you go to the hairdressers and they say £40, you don't say £25. In fact, can you imagine doing that? The receptionist would look at you like you're crazy and tell you the price is £40. 

So how does this all apply in the wedding industry? Brides are constantly told to get their money's worth and try to negotiate. Which is fine but can lead to this kind of scenario:

Bride: 'How much is your XYZ service?

Wedding planner/photographer/insert any wedding professional: For that service the cost will be ABC.

Bride: I'd like to pay DEF, can you do that?

W.P: Well possibly, but it won't be the above service, it will be JKL.

Bride: But I'd like the XYZ service.

W.P: Well then I'm afraid you'll have to pay for it.

If you're not totally confused by my XYZs and so on, let me try to explain.

I am not saying that trying to get a good deal and negotiating are 'not allowed' in weddings or that it shouldn't be done, but there are ways to go about it that are fair to both parties.

If somebody enquires about a service of mine, I give them the quote based on a variety of factors. This quote is what I feel is fair to both the bride and myself. No one gets into wedding planning to get rich quick! We do it out of love, but do have to try run a business at the same time.

So if the bride tells me that's higher than she expected, I ask her what she wanted to pay. And then where possible I try to create a bespoke package that she can afford but that is financially worth me doing too. So I'll offer less hours, or less meetings, or some way to reduce the price but still be fair. Basically I'm prepared to negotiate. Up to a point.

And the same applies when approaching wedding photographers for instance. If a photographer says on their website their fee is £1800 for 7 hours, and you say you'll give them £1500, the photographer will most likely say no. And be a bit affronted. If you only have £1500, then by all means ask if they are willing to do it for 5 hours for instance.

Negotiating on price in essence is a good thing, (I do it a lot for my clients obviously), but it's the way you do it that counts, especially when it comes to individuals running their own businesses - planners, photographers, stationers etc. These people have set their prices for a reason - it's what they think is fair to both themselves and their clients - and it's important to respect that.

My advice to those dealing with hagglers - be polite and flexible where possible - but don't forget to respect yourself and your business at the same time, otherwise you'll take a job on but be resentful, and that's not worth it for anyone.

Wedding photography is like wine

 

 from Swanson Vineyards

A large part of being a wedding planner is helping a couple have the wedding they want. So even if a couple want something I personally wouldn't have, as long as they can afford it and it 'works', it's not my place to tell them whether they can or can't have it.

Except when it comes to wedding photography. As I'm sure my couples will attest, this is one area of wedding planning I am forceful about! Quite frankly, scrimping on wedding photography just ain't allowed.

Wedding photography is like wine. In that bad wedding photography is like a cheap, chardonnay. It seems like an okay idea at the time. You kid yourself it will be fine when you see it on the shelf and hand over your £3.99 but inevitably when you open it it's horrible and you chastise yourself for your bad decision.

Lots of people have friends who fancy themselves as amateur photographers and offer to take wedding pics as a present. Or are even inviting a professional photographer as a guest who say they'll take some photos for mates rates. And it's definitely tempting when you consider the cost of a good wedding photographer.

But, there are many reasons why I wouldn't recommend this, from having seen it ruin friendships,(seriously), to hearing of one too many people saying they wished they'd hired a pro, and a pro they weren't friends with. Or at least a pro who is there as a pro, and not a guest.

There's a whole other blog post here about friends and wedding help, which I'll do another day. This is just to say, your wedding pictures you will look at forever. So pay the maximum you can afford. For someone whose work you love. Following on from my appalling wine analogy... the chances are, if you go for the £3.99 chardonnay of wedding photography, you will know it. And probably regret it.

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 6

via French by Design (awesome blog, check it out)

When I set up my wedding planning & styling company a lot of people - friends, family, randoms responded with, 'Oh, okay, so.. what exactly do you do'? Which being slighly paranoid, I heard as, 'Oh, okay so you charge people for things they could do themselves'?

Now fast forward a couple of years and I'm less sensitive about this issue. It's true, and I've said it before, wedding planning isn't rocket science. It falls into two main categories - organisation & research (the planning), + creativity and an eye for detail (the styling). Which require skill and ability sure, but we're not exactly doing brain surgery over here.

In many ways I see being a wedding planner as similar to being a mum (not that I am one so it's kind of conjecture but anyway). You work damn hard and are excellent at multi tasking, staying calm in a crisis and so on and yet in the eyes of many, it's not a real job.

I'm not saying this to whine about how misunderstood we wedding planners are, but just to draw your attention to the quote above, (found via Amma from Beyond Beyond on Pinterest incidentally, cheers for that).

Common sense is not that common.

Damn straight.

So yes, wedding planning isn't rocket science and yes most people can manage it. But that doesn't mean they're good at it. Or it won't stress them out.

And if you're wondering whether hiring a planner is worth it, and whether you can do it yourself, well yes you can probably. But the key skill, if you'd call it that, that wedding planners possess, is common sense. Which is among other things, what wedding planning is really. And as Voltaire wisely put it, that ain't that common.

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 5

Help create the running order of the day...


Lavender champagne from Martha Stewart Weddings

A key part of a successful and enjoyable wedding is the atmosphere. Which mainly boils down to how the guests and bride & groom obviously, are feeling. Atmsophere is made up of sights, smells, sounds and and it's peoples' interpretations of these, that collectively creates the atmosphere.

So it stands to reason a good way to keep the atmosphere good at your wedding, is to keep the guests happy.

And a good way to keep guests happy is to think about timings. This seems to be one of the areas a lot of couples worry about, if my couples are anything to go by.

From how long the ceremony should last to what time to serve the wedding breakfast, the wedding day running order makes a big difference to the overall feel of the day. We've all been to weddings where you're hanging around after the ceremony whilst the bride and groom have their photos taken. You've got a glass of champagne but you haven't eaten for hours and it's nearly 3.30pm and there's no sign that you'll be fed anytime soon.

These kind of moments aren't great for guests and are definitely something you want to try to avoid. You want charmed, relaxed, happy and satiated guests and the best way to guarantee this is to get the running order right.

Every wedding is different and what's right for one couple and one wedding doesn't necessarily apply to another. But there are some general good rules/guides to follow and understanding timings is one of the main skills of being a wedding planner. We know roughly how long things take, and when you're most likely going to want to move things along. This comes partly from experience, but it's also a skill that every good wedding planner should have.

Interviews, photo shoots and Royals

Happy Bank Holiday lovely readers! I hope you had a splendid Easter weekend. Here's this week's Monday Medley...

the interview/photo shoot


from oh la la weddings

On Friday I met up with two rather talented ladies to work on an interview feature with a little make up shoot. I'll be blogging full details later this week but here's a little sneak peek. One of the things I love best about my job is all the interesting and creative people I've been able to meet and/or work with. Liv from Blushless and Gaelle from oh la la weddings and I have a couple of other projects up our collective sleeve and I can't wait to share them with you.


the royal wedding

I have to be honest, I don't really care about the royal wedding. It feels almost blasphemous to say so but I get far more excited about 'real' weddings. And being self employed I can't even get excited about the bank holiday as I'll be working. Grumbling aside, however there is one aspect I am intrigued about shall we say and that's the dress. I know whatever design house and design is chosen will pretty much dominate the bridal industry for a couple of years. Whether it's Bruce Oldfield, Alexander McQueen, Alice Temperley, the much lesser known Sophie Cranston or somebody else entirely, I will definitely be checking out the gown.

On a different note, an estimated 2 billion people will tune in at some point to watch the wedding. No pressure then. I would be absolutely terrified I would trip up or accidentally swear or do something else entirely inappropriate!


the web chat

And with the Royal wedding around the corner everyone is naturally talking about weddings. Which has also led to lots of talk about being a wedding planner (which I have blogged about here). And you can join me and a selection of other fab wedding planning pros on Wednesday 27th April as part of the Guardian's live web chat discussing how to become a wedding planner. It's between 1pm - 4pm on the 27th and you can sign up here so you don't miss out.

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 4

The issue of hiring staff...


from doreese illustration and photography


I get a lot of emails from people looking for a job in wedding planning and asking about paid work at Savoir Weddings and thought it was about time I tackled the issue of staff.

From the amount of interest I get it seems everybody wants to be a wedding planner these days. Which I get because it is a rewarding and varied job. So I hope no one finds this patronising, because I'm certainly not saying I know everything, but here's my advice for those of you thinking of becoming a wedding planner.

I can't speak for all wedding planners and the big guns (who don't work on weddings less than £60k) are probably different but most of us don't make enough money to hire full time staff.

I am a full time wedding planner. It took me well over a year to get to this stage. I'm certainly not rich but I make enough to live on which is great. I should point out here incidentally, if you're thinking of becoming a planner or starting a wedding planning biz to get rich, think again. It's incredibly hard work, involves working anti social hours, is at times stressful, and when you work it out per hour it definitely doesn't fall into one of those 'easy money' jobs likes some people seem to think.

So even though I am a full time planner I don't generate enough income to support staff. There is Dan who is involved in the music side of things and I work with interns during particularly busy periods. But whilst I pay the interns' expenses I definitely don't make enough to pay someone else a salary.

And this is quite common according to my fellow wedding planners.

So for those of you who want to become a wedding planner you really need to think whether you're prepared to become a business owner too. Because 99% of people who are wedding planners run their own businesses. So if you really want to do it you have to not only be good at planning/styling weddings, but also self motivating, managing your own time, finances and everything else that goes with running a business.

I don't want to discourage anyone considering a career in wedding planning. I genuinely love my job and often see it more as a way of life than a job. But it's not enough to just love weddings. There's a very high chance you'll have to establish and run your own business to become a planner and that's not a decision to make lightly.

For more on being a wedding planner see here.

What are your thoughts? Fellow wedding planners, do you agree? What about you other freelancers, do you get lots of job applications too?

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 3

Can you afford a wedding planner?

Um, yeah.

One of the most annoying myths about wedding planners is that we're a luxury for high end weddings and couples with big fat budgets.

Most of my clients have modest but perfectly respectable budgets. As one bride said to me at the weekend: 'We could afford more, but this is what we're comfortable spending on our wedding.'

In my experience the quirkier and more creative the couple are the more likely they are to have a 'budget' wedding. And that's fine by me. Far more enjoyable to work with couples like this!

This doesn't mean I don't and haven't worked with couples with bigger budgets (and by bigger I mean £40k and upwards) it's just the majority of my clients are 'normal' people with 'normal' jobs from 'normal' backgrounds and this is what they can afford.

And I don't see why they shouldn't hire a wedding planner any less than someone with £100k to spend.

Okay so obviously I have to make a living. I know what I can afford to charge prospective clients and I know what wouldn't be possible for me to do. Sometimes I really love hearing about a couples' ideas but they can't afford to hire me as a full planner - so I help them out with a consultation for instance.

Just like there are designer boutiques where you can spend a month's rent on a handbag for instance, there is also Topshop.

In all aspects of life there are options for those with money to spend and those who have to be more careful. And it really really bugs me when people think wedding planners are only for the wealthy.

There are wedding planners who cater to a more luxury driven market and yes, if you've got £20k to spend don't both getting in touch with them. But for all the rest of you wondering if you can afford a wedding planner. You can. To some extent anyway. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

This is the third post in my mini series about life as a wedding planner.

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 2

The other week I started this little mini series with a post on wedding planning and what hours and where I work. This post is all about how I divide my time between my clients.

Sorry about all the text by the way. No pretty pictures today, this is all about the words!

Firstly I'll make an obvious point. I do have to take on enough weddings to make a living. Whilst I do love my job I do still have bills to pay so I do have to work on more than one wedding a year say to make it work! Having said that one of the key factors in running your own business is the balancing act between having enough clients vs having the time to dedicate to each one.

So I never take on more work than I know I can do well. In fact one of the hardest things in running my own wedding planning business has been having to turn down a wedding job because as much as I'd want to do it, I just don't have the time.

Different couples hire me for different purposes so some will require more work than others. I offer one off consultations on a variety of wedding related things from wedding styling to managing the budget and so on. So these jobs are time intensive for a short space of time, obviously during the consultation and when I write the follow up report. Then the couples go off and plan their own weddings armed with whatever information and help they needed. This is different to the full planning jobs for instance where I work with some couples up to 18 months before their big day. So with full planning jobs it isn't intensive all the time but an ongoing process.

So how do I divide my time?

When I provide checklists and time lines for couples I also draw them up for myself. So I know what I need to be doing for each client by a certain time. And I know which parts of the wedding planning process are most time consuming. The venue search is always the biggy and when this happens I can guarantee that couple will be getting a lot of my time!

Everybody has different ways of working but I tend to roughly map out my week into sections for each client. So I'm always totally focused on one wedding at a time. I don't search for reception decoration ideas for two weddings at a time for instance.

But as much as we planners like to plan, I do have to be flexible as everything revolves around the couple and their needs. Sometimes brides (and grooms) change their mind about what they want or something new crops up in their lives that affects their wedding. So lists and planning is essential but so is being adaptable to new situations.

Certain clients have more demands or a more challenging wedding to plan (tight budget, large guest list, short time to plan). But by having time blocks for each client I can ensure one client doesn't take up more time than another. Even if that sometimes means working late it's the fairest way to ensure every client gets the attention they deserve.

Having said all this, if Kate and Will decide to hire me as their wedding planner for the royal wedding, I wouldn't need any other jobs at all, so if you're reading this Kate please do get in touch.

Joking obviously. I'd rather have all my couples than one royal one. Plus I imagine it will be very traditional which isn't really my bag ;)

What does a wedding planner actually do? Part 1

*my ideal office would look a little like this divine image from coco+kelley*


I know a large part of the people who read my blog are my clients, or potential clients so I thought letting you in to my world and how I work on weddings might be of interest to you.

So I'm going to do a series of blog posts on various different issues/situations/musings and if there's anything in particular you'd like to see here just get in touch josieanddan@savoirweddings.com.

Okay so first up a question I've been asked a fair few times in consultations:

What hours do I work and where do I work?

Since I first became a wedding planner roughly 18 months ago (depending on whether I consider the start of my business when I began researching or got my first client) I have played around with different working hours.

I'm more a night owl than an early bird and find myself most creative late at night so the normal 9 - 5 routine isn't always best for me. Plus a lot of my clients are super busy and have full time jobs so they can only meet in the evening. So in some ways I should work 3pm - 3am or something although that doesn't leave much room for a life.

One thing's for sure, whether it be actual research, networking or thinking about a particular wedding or client I definitely work more than 40 hours a week. Which I imagine is true of lots of self employed people whether they work in weddings or not.

I do a lot of work in the various splendid coffee shops of Dalston and Hoxton (I had an office but the building got sold) and find these kind of environments great for when I want to brainstorm or work on something creative like wedding styling or design. And I work from home the rest of the time which is great for speaking on the phone/more serious research. And also lovely because my desk overlooks a canal which is fairly peaceful.

The one time that I try to keep sacred is my weekend. Partly because otherwise I'd never see my friends or my boyfriend and partly because wedding planning is a full on, passionate, exciting job and I need the weekends to relax and regroup.

What about you? If you're freelance where do you work and what hours do you keep?

The wedding budget

Whilst January is a truly depressing month weather wise, it's a pretty exciting one for recently engaged brides to be. And judging by the amount of enquiries I alone am getting, a hell of a lot of you got engaged during the festive season!

I thought I'd write this post to give a little help to those starting their wedding planning, with or without a wedding planner. Aside from telling people you're engaged and revelling in all the congrats it's pretty much the first thing you should consider. And that is...

... the wedding budget...

I can not tell you the amount of enquiries I get where the bride or groom will explain their ideal wedding and then tell me they haven't considered the budget. Or those that say they're thinking of spending say £20,0000 - £35,000 as if this £15,000 gap isn't rather significant.

I know when you've literally just got engaged and are only just beginning to imagine your big day, you might not have even had a chance to work out what you can afford. Or even discussed with your parents whether they can and want to contribute. And I totally understand that. In fact I salute you for being so organised and contacting me straight away! It's just in my wedding planning experience, the budget is like the elephant in the room with some couples and they would rather plan the whole wedding without really thinking about it.

But, and here's the free advice, before you allow yourself to dream about your ideal wedding, work out what you can afford. Don't decide on the wedding you want and then work out the money later. It will be stressful, upsetting and difficult and if you're not careful will result in you starting married life in debt.

So whilst I don't want to ruin your daydreams of your perfect wedding I do want you all to be realistic, whether you become my clients or not! It will make the whole wedding planning process so much easier if you know what you can afford and will prevent you feeling crushed when you realise that Vera Wang dress you wanted isn't going to be anything other than a pipe dream.

What do you think brides to be? And wedding planners, what are your thoughts on the wedding budget?

*I've written it in purple italics to make it seem less scary :)

Should I be worried about the competition?

As you may know I am a wedding planner and stylist and have lately been pondering the concept of professional envy and whether I should be worried about the competition. Which after some consideration I answered with a resounding no. And not because I'm the most fabulous wedding planner of them all. No, the reason I, (and you too) shouldn't be worried about the competition, (in whatever field you work in) is because I am unique.

As in there's only one me.

Just as there's only one you.

Two wedding planners might come from similar events background and attend the same wedding planning training course. But they will be two different people, with different likes, desires, and plans both in their business and life. Even if they plan similar style weddings they are still unique. And this is without even taking into consideration different personalities and je ne sais pas or x factor that makes a certain individual them. How many times have you met in life a perfectly nice person but the two of you just don't click, often for no obvious reason? Well this can happen in business just as much.

This can be applied to many jobs I think. How many of us prefer one hair stylist over another, or doctor for instance, sometimes for non specific reasons. This is worth remembering when you panic he/she/they are doing things so much better than you.

It's also worth being honest with yourself. Jealousy and envy are complicated unpleasant emotions that'd we'd all like to believe we're above. But business owners are still human and I doubt one of you out there hasn't felt envious at some point in your career. Or life for that matter.

Ultimately we shouldn't mind if we feel a bit resentful, intimidated or jealous of other people working in the same field. In fact we should learn from our competition as this can make us better at our own work which is turn is better for our clients/customers/patients etc. And it's worth remembering you might envy how busy a particular planner, (or designer, or photographer for example) seems to be, but you never know, they might envy your relationship with suppliers, your blog, your style and many other things about you.

With regards to wedding planning (which is still a relatively new concept in the UK) I'm all for new planners, established planners, planners I admire and so on existing and creating fabulous weddings. Because as far as I'm concerned the more brides see the work of talented wedding planners and stylists the more likely they are to use them and recommend to friends and family. Which only does the industry good. And that is great for all of us.

What do you think? Is competition good? Or are you worried about supply exceeding demand in wedding planning or whatever field you work in?